This grant is awarded annually to a writer who is fifty years of age or older at the time of the grant application, and is intended to assist such writers who are just starting to work at a professional level. The SLF offers two $500 grants annually, to be used as each writer determines will best assist his or her work. We will be accepting applications for the grant starting in January.

This grant is awarded annually to assist writers of speculative literature (in fiction, poetry,drama, or creative nonfiction) in their research. This year, we will accept applications July 1 through September 30. They are not currently available for academic research, though we hope to offer such funds in the future. We are currently offering one $800 travel grant annually, to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses. Learn more here.

This grant is awarded annually to assist working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction, due to financial barriers. We are currently offering one $750 working class grant annually, to be used as the writer determines will best assist his or her work. This year, we will accept applications December 15 through February 15.

The Diverse Worlds grant is awarded annually to assist work that best presents a diverse world, regardless of the writer's background.

Grant Schedules

Grant

Submissions

Judging

Announcement

Diversity Grant

May 1 - July 31

August

September 15

Travel Grant

July 1 - September 30

October

November 15

Working Class / Impoverished Writers Grant

Dec 1 - February 28

March

April 15

Older Writers Grant

January 1 - March 31

April

May 15

**READ WHAT PREVIOUS GRANT WINNERS HAVE TO SAY**

"Winning the older writer grant was the all important spark that started the book off, it gave me the confidence I didn't have at the time to think that maybe I did have a good book. The money was invaluable in helping to implement a marketing plan. I will be forever grateful to the Speculative Literature Foundation..."

--Karen Simpson, winner of the 2009 Older Writers Grant

"I was so happy to win the Speculative
Literature Foundation Older Writers'
Grant, especially as it came at a time
when I was feeling quite disheartened
with my work. The world seemed to be full
of younger, more optimistic
writers -- I'd been working closely
alongside many of them doing an MA in
creative writing! But this gave me new
heart, and since then my short stories
have featured in two major awards in England
and I am currently working on
a novel set in the drought-stricken world
of the near future."

--Hilary Wilce, winner of the 2007 Older Writers Grant

"...the money made it possible for me to get to the UK so that I could launch the itinerant housesitting career that allows me to live and keep writing fiction. So, in a sense, the Gulliver Travel Grant has made it possible for me to write three novels, one novella, and seven short stories. Ask me again, this time next year, and the total will have increased by two more novels and another novella. I am deeply grateful to the Speculative Fiction Foundation."

--Matt Hughes, winner of the 2007 Travel Grant

"The 2008 Older Writers Grant came just in time to help fund my attendance that summer at the Taos Toolbox
Writers Workshop, taught by Walter Jon Williams and Kelly Link. Very handy! The workshop itself was wonderful.
Since then, I've completed a second fantasy novel, which is just now beginning the submission process. And novel #3
is just getting underway....The grant did come at just the right time, and gave me a little extra confidence
when meeting the mostly younger writers at the workshop. And I'm not shy about mentioning it in my query letters!"

--Deborah Roggie, winner of the 2008 Older Writers Grant

"Thanks to the SLF Gulliver Travel Grant, it was made possible for me to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, Japan, where the anchor story of my second book, a novel-in-stories called The Love We Share Without Knowing, took place. The regions of Japan, like any country, are diverse and have their own local cultures. So it was important for me, setting a book in Japan, to be able to get my hands and feet into the soil of the various regions where the settings of the book take place. Without the Gulliver Grant, I may not have been able to visit all of my book's locales. And because of the Gulliver Travel Grant, I believe the book is better for the firsthand experience."

--Christopher Barzak, winner of the 2005 Travel Grant

"I fell in love with Mexico City from pretty much the cab ride to the bed and breakfast. The chance to travel all over this amazing, vibrant, cosmopolitan city and learn about the Aztec (and other Mesoamerican) architecture that sits side-by-side with the modern was truly eye-opening to me. I came away with so much excitement and inspiration for my novel, and so many new angles to explore...Whether exploring the various ruins in Mexico City proper, or taking buses to neighboring towns to visit lesser-known sites, the travel grant let me get a conception of the world of my novel that would never have been possible from just researching at home. I'm incredibly grateful to the SLF for giving me the opportunity."